We are excited to enlist CU alumni and friends to support our efforts in the upcoming session of the Colorado General Assembly, which opens January 7. Please join us for CU Advocacy Day at the State Capitol on Friday, January 16.

Our goal is to enhance grassroots networking for the benefit of CU. We want to invite you to advocate for CU with lawmakers, learn about the legislative issues affecting higher education, and hear about ways you can support the university in your community.

You can join us any time between 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. A networking breakfast will be included. For more information, click here.

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Redeveloped North Nevada Gets Moniker

The area surrounding a retail complex on North Nevada and UCCS will be known as University District, Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak announced at a recent campus forum for. The name selection came after private developers consulted with UCCS faculty, staff and students. The 80-acre retail area is slated to open in Fall 2009 and will feature a pedestrian underpass linking to UCCS.

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School of Public Affairs to Offer New Certificate Program in Non-Profit Fund Development

The four-course certificate program is designed to provide current and future professionals with skills for successful fundraising in the non-profit sector. The courses will cover such areas as current and prospective donor research, relationship building, securing gifts, volunteer involvement, grant writing and management.

For more information on the certificate program and how you can enroll, contact Mary Lou Kartis at (719) 262-4182.

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Alumni Association Benefit Spotlight

As a UCCS alumnus, one of the benefits we offer to you can help your alma mater as well.

UCCS has outgrown its 262 telephone prefix. As a result, UCCS is transitioning away from "262" toward "255." The official change will take place on Jan.1, 2009, so update your address books accordingly.

Greetings!

Greetings! On behalf of all of us at UCCS, we hope that the holiday season finds you well and enjoying time with your family and friends.

In this issue of Alumni Connections, we are seeking your support and involvement on two important issues for the UCCS Alumni and Friends Association.

As you'll read below, we are working to develop a UCCS-specific alumni license plate program, but we need your feedback in the final push to get the program off the ground.

In addition, we are seeking your involvement as representatives of UCCS when alumni from all CU campuses meet at the State Capitol on January 16. We hope you'll be able to join us to help move your alma mater forward.

Best wishes for a safe and happy holiday season!

Jennifer Hane, BA '01, MPA '04

Director of University Events and Alumni Relations

UCCS to Launch Campus-Specific Alumni License Plate Program

Are you ready to show your UCCS pride in a new way? The UCCS Alumni and Friends Association is proud to announce that we are working to develop a campus-specific license plate program for our over 30,000 alumni (over 15,000 of whom still live within the Pikes Peak Region).

As you may know, UCCS alumni are currently able to purchase the University of Colorado license plate featuring the Boulder mascot, Ralphie. Given the growth of our campus and distinct identity, however, we believe that the time has come for a license plate that better represents your alma mater's place within the CU System.

We've already collected the signatures we need to move forward with the process. The final step in making our case for the UCCS license plate program is based on your feedback.

As such, please take a moment to complete a very brief license plate survey online. The questions will only take a few minutes of your time, and your feedback will play a direct role in getting this program off to a great start.

The UCCS Alumni and Friends Association thanks you in advance for your participation.

Pyszczynski Named Distinguished Professor

The University of Colorado Board of Regents recently honored four CU faculty members with the distinguished professor title to recognize their outstanding contributions to their respective academic disciplines.

The board honored Thomas A. Pyszczynski from UCCS and Spero Manson, Robert Murphy and Paul Teske from the University of Colorado Denver.

"These elite faculty exemplify the best of what CU faculty do," said Steve Bosley, chair of the CU Board of Regents. "Their accomplishments in scholarship, teaching and service have helped CU earn distinction as one of the top universities in the country."

CU extends the distinguished professor title to faculty members who demonstrate accomplishments in exemplary teaching and distinguished scholarship or creative work. The title signifies a select group of faculty members who are leaders in their respective fields as attested to by national or international recognition and/or their significant public service achievements. Including the four newly honored faculty members, there are 53 professors within the CU system who hold the title of distinguished professor.

With the board's action, Pyszczynski becomes only the second faculty member at UCCS to earn the title distinguished professor. In 1982, Daniel Cougar, professor, Business, and a founding faculty member of the campus, was the first to receive the title. Cougar died in 1997.

Pyszczynski, a professor of psychology at UCCS for more than 20 years, researches terror management theory, which is concerned with the role of self-esteem and cultural belief systems in providing protection against core human fears such as death. The theory also helps understand the causes of support for terrorist violence. Pyszczynski's research has been funded by the National Science Foundation since 1989 and he is ranked one of the most productive researchers worldwide in social psychology, garnering about $90,000 a year in grants.

"It is an honor to be recognized and to have the university appreciate the work that we've been doing," Pyszczynski said recently. "But this award also speaks to the great students at UCCS, particularly the graduate students."

Pyszczynski joined UCCS in 1986 and was promoted to professor in 1994. He credited the late Lee Becker, professor, Psychology, for "taking a chance" in hiring the recent PhD graduate with controversial ideas. Those controversial ideas are now a dominant approach for understanding a variety of issues ranging from human self esteem, faith, ethnic violence and war.

"I knew when I came here I wanted to stay a long time. It simply is a great atmosphere," Pyszczynski said. "UCCS provided me what I needed to succeed - good students."

For more about Pyszczynski, a 2002 feature about him is available online.

Career Center Continues to Support UCCS Alumni

As a UCCS graduate, one of the ways in which you can benefit from your complimentary membership in the Alumni and Friends Association is through continued access to the Career Center.

Given our current economic climate, now is a great time for alumni to take advantage of the many services that the Career Center offers, including personality assessments, career assessments, and general career counseling. The Career Center also offers two on-campus Career Fairs each Calendar Year that attract employers from throughout the Pikes Peak Region.

For alumni currently seeking employment or considering a job change, the Career Center is available to help you assess your options, review your resume, and even conduct mock-interviews to help you get the edge you need to succeed.

Alumni are encouraged to sign up for the Career Center's free job board and to create an employment profile. Doing so allows the Career Center to serve you most effectively by notifying you when a job is posted that best meets your qualifications.

For those alumni with open positions within their organizations, the Career Center also allows you to register for free and to post your jobs as they become available.

In addition, alumni who are already established in their career fields are needed to serve as mentors to current students who are assessing their options. Even a few minutes of your time can make a significant difference in helping a current student understand what it takes to succeed after graduation.

Please note that when utilizing the Career Center's services, appointments are required to make the best use of your time and to serve you most effectively.

Alumni Connections is published monthly by the Office of University Advancement in conjunction with the Office of University Events and Alumni Relations and the Office of University Relations at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Feel free to pass this newsletter on to a friend by clicking the "Forward Email" link below. To unsubscribe from this list, simply click the "SafeUnsubscribe" link.